Nature Communications (May 2016)

The machinery underlying malaria parasite virulence is conserved between rodent and human malaria parasites

  • Mariana De Niz,
  • Ann-Katrin Ullrich,
  • Arlett Heiber,
  • Alexandra Blancke Soares,
  • Christian Pick,
  • Ruth Lyck,
  • Derya Keller,
  • Gesine Kaiser,
  • Monica Prado,
  • Sven Flemming,
  • Hernando del Portillo,
  • Chris J. Janse,
  • Volker Heussler,
  • Tobias Spielmann

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11659
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 1
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

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Proteins SBP1 and MAHRP1 of the human malaria parasite are required for sequestration of infected red blood cells in major organs. Here, De Niz et al. identify homologous proteins in the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei, showing that they play similar roles and supporting the usefulness of malaria mouse models.